Police warn of 'sextortion' crime as scammers threaten to release intimate photos

Staffordshire Police said it has been warning people of the cyber blackmail scam currently targeting random people, in which fraudsters threaten to post intimate photos or video footage online if money isn’t transferred.

A number of so-called 'sextortion' incidents have been reported in the county.

The force said that sextortion is blackmailing a victim not to post sexually explicit photos or videos on social networking, photo-sharing or revenge porn websites.

People have reported receiving emails from fraudsters threatening to post or share videos on social networks and demanding payment.

Detective Sergeant Ben Thomas, of CID North at Staffordshire Police, said: “This is a very distressing crime, which preys on people’s vulnerabilities and worries about any consequences.

"The welfare of victims is paramount and I want to reassure people that this is highly likely to be a scam and they have nothing to fear.”

“Don’t be embarrassed to report it and don’t attempt to respond to any threat or pay any money.

"Grab a screen shot of communication, suspend associated accounts but do not delete any content or the account themselves; and please report it to us and we will then investigate.

“Inquiries are going into these incidents and we are working closely with partners such as the National Crime Agency and National Police Chiefs’ Council to crack down on offenders.”

People who have been targeted have been urged not to pay, to save the evidence, report it to social media companies and internet service providers and block all communication with the person or people targeting them.

Members of the public can report any instances of sextortion through the Staffordshire Police website, Twitter and Facebook channels, or by calling 101.

For further information about online safety, members of the public can also go to getsafeonline.org, thinkuknow.co.uk and ceop.police.uk.